"Far Above Cayuga's Waters" a Ithaca Travel Page by TRimer

Many people travel to Ithaca, New York because they have some connection with Cornell University. That was certainly the case for me and my sisters. I graduated in 1986 with my sisters soon to follow. The campus itself and the surrounding area is some of the most beautiful areas in the country.

Ithaca was named for the Greek Island of Ithaca in Homer's Odyssey. It is located on the southern tip of Cayuga Lake, one of the largest of the Finger Lakes that dot the center of upstate New York. The Finger Lakes is an ideal place to make wine too.

Cornell University is a private university located in Ithaca, New York, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. Cornell was founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell, a businessman and a pioneer in the telegraph industry, and Andrew Dickson White, a respected scholar and politician. The youngest of its peers in the Ivy League, the University has seven undergraduate (four endowed and 3 SUNY) and seven graduate level academic units.

Cornell is a pioneer in American education. It was the first major institution in the eastern United States to admit women along with men, when the first women enrolled in 1872. Among other firsts, it awarded the first university degrees in veterinary medicine and journalism, taught the first course in American history, formed the first university publishing company, and awarded the nation's first doctorates in electrical engineering and industrial engineering. The School of Hotel Administration and New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations are the first four-year schools devoted to those fields.

The school colors are carnelian red and white, a play on "Cornellian" and Andrew Dickson White. Cornell does not have an official mascot, as the school is officially known as the "Big Red," but a bear is commonly seen as a mascot, which dates back to the introduction of the mascot "Touchdown" in 1915. The sports teams participate in the Ivy League and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). "Far Above Cayuga's Waters" is Cornell's alma mater. The lyrics were composed in 1870 by two roommates to the tune of "Annie Lisle", a popular ballad of the day.